The Battle of Telamon was fought between the Roman Republic and an alliance of Gauls in 225 BC. The Romans, led by the consuls Gaius Atilius Regulus and Lucius Aemilius Papus, defeated the Gauls, thus extending their influence over northern Italy. Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 270s BC 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC - 220s BC - 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC Years: 230 BC 229 BC 228 BC 227 BC 226 BC - 225 BC - 224 BC 223 BC... Talamone from the sea. ... Tuscany (Italian: ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. ... Motto Senatus Populusque Romanus Roman provinces on the eve of the assassination of Julius Caesar, c. ... Gallia (in English Gaul) is the Latin name for the region of western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Lucius Aemilius Papus, a member of the gens Aemilia of the branch cognomated Papus, was a Roman general and statesman. ... Concolitanus (Greek Κογκολίτανος) was one of the two leaders of the Gaesatae, a group of Gaulish mercenaries who lived in the Alps near the Rhône and fought against the Roman Republic in the Battle of Telamon of 224 BC. He and his colleague Aneroëstes were hired by the Boii... Aneroëstes (Greek Ἀνηροέστης)[1] (d. ... Motto Senatus Populusque Romanus Roman provinces on the eve of the assassination of Julius Caesar, c. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Combatants Roman Republic Gauls Commanders Quintus Sulpicius Brennus Strength 40,000 70,000 The Battle of the Allia was a battle of the first Gallic invasion of Italy. ... The Battle of Arretium was fought in 285 BC between Rome and Gaul. ... The Battle of Lake Vadimo was fought in 283 BC between Rome and the combined forces of the Etruscans and Gauls. ... The Battle of Faesulae was fought in 225 BC between Rome and a group of Gauls living in Italy. ... Combatants Roman Republic Gauls Commanders Marcellus Viridomarus† The Battle of Clastidium was fought in 222 BC between a Roman Republic army led by Marcus Claudius Marcellus and the Gauls led by Viridomarus. ... The Battle of Cremona was fought in 200 BC between the Roman Republic and Cisalpine Gaul. ... The Battle of Mutina was fought in 194 BC between Rome and Gaul. ... Motto Senatus Populusque Romanus Roman provinces on the eve of the assassination of Julius Caesar, c. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 270s BC 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC - 220s BC - 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC Years: 230 BC 229 BC 228 BC 227 BC 226 BC - 225 BC - 224 BC 223 BC... Consul (abbrev. ... Lucius Aemilius Papus, a member of the gens Aemilia of the branch cognomated Papus, was a Roman general and statesman. ...

Background

Mobilisation

Rome had been at peace with the Gauls for many years. Indeed, when a force of Transalpine Gauls had crossed the Alps into Italy in 230 BC, it had been the Boii of Cisalpine Gaul who had repelled them. The Romans had sent an army but found it was not needed. However, when the Romans partitioned the formerly Gallic territory of Picenum in 234 BC, this created resentment among its neighbours, the Boii and Insubres.^[1] Boii (Latin plural, singular Boius; Greek Βοιοι) is the Roman name of an ancient Celtic tribe, attested at various times in Transalpine Gaul (modern France) and Cisalpine Gaul (northern Italy), as well as most anciently found in Pannonia (today Western Hungary), Bohemia, Moravia and western Slovakia. ... Cisalpine Gaul (Latin: Gallia Cisalpina, meaning Gaul this side of the Alps) was a province of the Roman Republic, in Emilia and Lombardy of modern-day northern Italy. ... Regio V - Picenum Picenum was a region of ancient Roman Italy. ... The Insubres or Insubri were a Celtic population who settled in Insubria, in what is now Lombardy. ...

In 225 BC, the Boii and Insubres paid large sums of money to the Gaesatae, mercenaries from Transalpine Gaul led by Aneroëstes and Concolitanus, to fight with them them against Rome. The Romans, alarmed by this Celtic mobilisation, made a treaty giving the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal the Fair unimpeded control of Hispania so they could concentrate on the threat closer to home.^[2] This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Aneroëstes (Greek Ἀνηροέστης)[1] (d. ... Concolitanus (Greek Κογκολίτανος) was one of the two leaders of the Gaesatae, a group of Gaulish mercenaries who lived in the Alps near the Rhône and fought against the Roman Republic in the Battle of Telamon of 224 BC. He and his colleague Aneroëstes were hired by the Boii... Carthage (Greek: , from the Phoenician meaning new town, Arabic: , Latin: ) refers both to an ancient city in North Africa located in modern day Tunis and to the civilization that developed within the citys sphere of influence. ... Hasdrubal the Fair (d. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Iberian Peninsula. ...

The Romans called upon their allies in Italy to supply troops. The consul Lucius Aemilius Papus had four legions of Roman citizens, 22,000 men in total, plus 32,000 allied troops, which he stationed the majority of his forces at Ariminum. He placed 54,000 Sabines and Etruscans on the Etruscan border under the command of a praetor, and sent 40,000 Umbrians, Sarsinates, Veneti and Cenomani to attack the home territory of the Boii to distract them from the battle. The other consul, Gaius Atilius Regulus, had an army the same size as that of Papus, but was stationed in Sardinia at the time, and there was a reserve of 21,500 citizens and 32,000 allies in Rome itself, and two reserve legions in Sicily and Tarentum.^[3] Lucius Aemilius Papus, a member of the gens Aemilia of the branch cognomated Papus, was a Roman general and statesman. ... The Roman Legion (from Latin , from lego, legere, legi, lectus — to collect) is a term that can apply both as a transliteration of legio (conscription or army) to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly (and more commonly), to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of... Rimini is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, population 134,378 (November 2004). ... Sabine (in Latin and in Italian, Sabina) is a sub-region of Latium, Italy, on the North-East of Rome toward Rieti. ... The Etruscan civilization existed in Etruria and the Po valley in the northern part of what is now Italy, prior to the formation of the Roman Republic. ... // Definition According to Cicero, Praetor was a title which designated the consuls as the leaders of the armies of the state. ... The Umbri, also called Umbrians in English, were an ancient Italic tribe. ... The Veneti (Enetoi in Greek) were an ancient people who inhabited todays northeastern Italy, in a area comprised in the modern-day region Veneto. ... The Cenomani were a a branch of the Aulerci in Gallia Celtica, whose territory corresponded generally to Maine in the modern départment of Sarthe. ... Sardinia (pronounced ; Italian: ; Sardinian: or Sardinnya) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily). ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... Map of Italy showing Taranto in the bottom right Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, southern Italy. ...

Gaulish victory at Faesulae

Main article: Battle of Faesulae

The Gauls overran Etruria and began to march to Rome. The Romans' troops stationed on the Etrurian border met them at Clusium, three days' march from Rome, where both sides made camp. That night the Gauls, leaving their cavalry and their camp fires as a decoy, withdrew to the town of Faesulae (modern Fiesole) and built defensive obstacles. In the morning the cavalry followed in full view of the Romans, who, thinking the enemy were retreating, pursued them. The Gauls, with the advantage of position, were victorious after a hard battle. 6,000 Romans died. The rest fell back to a defensible hill.^[4] The Battle of Faesulae was fought in 225 BC between Rome and a group of Gauls living in Italy. ... Ancient Clusium was a Roman city, one of a succession found at the site. ... Florence as seen from Fiesole Fiesole is a town and comune (township) of Firenze province in the Italian region of Tuscany, 43°49N 11°18E, on a famously scenic height 346 m (1140 ft) above Florence, 8 km (5 mi) NE of that city. ...

That night Papus arrived and made camp nearby. Aneroëstes persuaded the Gauls to withdraw along the Etruscan coast with their booty, and renew the war later when unencumbered. Papus pursued and harassed their rear but did not risk a pitched battle. The other consul, Regulus, had crossed from Sardinia, landed at Pisa, and was marching towards Rome. His scouts met the Gauls' advanced foragers head on near Telamon (modern Talamone).^[5] This article discusses the Italian city. ... Talamone from the sea. ...

The battle

Regulus put his troops in fighting order and advanced, attempting to occupy a hill above the road by which the Gauls must pass. The Gauls, unaware of Regulus' arrival, assumed that Papus had sent some of his cavalry ahead, and sent some of their own cavalry and light infantry against them to contest the hill, but as soon as they knew what they were up against they deployed their infantry facing both front and rear. They placed the Gaesatae and Insubres at the rear against Papus, and the Boii and Taurisci at the front against Regulus, their wings protected by wagons and chariots. A small force guarded the booty on another hill nearby. The battle over the main hill was fierce, and despite Papus sending cavalry to assist, Regulus was killed and his head brought to the Gallic leaders. Eventually, however, the Roman cavalry secured possession of the hill.

The Romans advanced from both directions, throwing volleys of javelins, which devastated the vulnerable Gaesatae at the rear, who were fighting naked with small shields. Some rushed wildly at the enemy and were slaughtered. Others withdrew into the body of the army, their retreat causing disorder among their allies.

The Roman javelin-throwers withdrew into the ranks, and the infantry advanced in maniples. The Insubres, Boii and Taurisci held their ground tenaciously, but the Roman shields and thrusting short swords were more effective in close combat than the Gallic smaller shields and slashing long swords, and the Romans gained the upper hand. Finally, the Roman cavalry rode down the hill onto the Gauls' flank. Their infantry were slaughtered and their cavalry put to flight. Maniple (Latin: manipulus) was a tactical unit of the Roman Legion, consisting of two centuriae within a single cohort. ... This article is about the sword. ...

Around 40,000 Gauls were killed and 10,000, including Concolitanus, taken prisoner. Aneroëstes escaped with a small group of followers, who committed suicide with him. Papus conducted a punitive expedition against the Boii, and later used the spoils taken in his triumph.^[6] A Roman Triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly honour the military commander (dux) of a notably successful foreign war or campaign and to display the glories of Roman victory. ...

References